Fa’ausi

Ingredients

The base

• 1 kgtaro, boiled and grated
• or 12 thick slices of fa’apapa
• or 12 thick slices of bread

Coconut caramel

• 600 mlthick coconut cream
• 250 gsugar
• or 250 g brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonvanilla, optional

Sometimes added

• extra grated coconut
• a squeeze of lemon

Directions

1. Boil it thoroughly before grating it. Peel the taro thickly with gloves on. Cut it into large even chunks. Boil it in salted water until soft. Give it about twenty-five minutes. Drain it thoroughly afterwards. Let the taro cool enough to handle.
2. Grate it coarsely on a box grater. It should come out in short strands. Press it firmly into a lined tray. Press it down hard so it holds together. Let it set for twenty minutes. Cut it into thick even squares. Cut thick slices of bread or fa’apapa. Cut them into large even squares. Toast them lightly if the bread is soft. That helps them hold up under the sauce.
3. Set them out in a shallow dish. Put the sugar into a heavy pan. Add a splash of the coconut cream. Heat it gently until the sugar dissolves. Watching the caramel takes attention.
4. Keep stirring it as it darkens. Take it to a deep amber and no further. Pour in the rest of the coconut cream. Stand well back as you pour it. Hot caramel and cool liquid react hard. Pour it in slowly and steadily. Stir it as the bubbling subsides. It sticks to skin and keeps burning.
5. Keep children out of the kitchen entirely. Use a long-handled wooden spoon. Never taste it from the pan itself. Bring it back to a gentle simmer. Let it cook for about ten minutes. Add the salt and the vanilla to it. It stops the sauce being merely sweet. Take it off looser than you want it. Add a splash of coconut cream if it is too thick.
6. Set the taro or bread squares in a dish. Pour the hot sauce over all of them. Pour it generously and cover everything. Let it soak in for a few minutes.
7. Add more sauce if it looks dry. Serving it is done properly warm. Spoon it into bowls with plenty of sauce. Scatter extra grated coconut over if you like. It keeps two days refrigerated. Warm it gently before serving again.

Technique

• The sauce is coconut cream boiled with sugar until it caramelises and darkens, and it is that sauce rather than the base which defines the dish.
• Traditional fa’ausi uses boiled grated taro pressed into a block, though bread and fa’apapa are both used and all three carry the name.
• Pouring cool coconut cream into hot caramel makes it bubble up violently, so it must be added slowly with the pan at arm’s length.

Substitutions

• Bread or fa’apapa stand in for taro and are far simpler to prepare.
• Brown sugar in place of white gives a deeper flavour with less caramelising needed.

Variations

• Some households use taro and others bread, and both are called fa’ausi.
• A version with extra grated coconut stirred through the sauce is made.
• Faikakai in Tonga uses the same coconut caramel over dumplings.

History

Made by boiling coconut cream with sugar until it darkens, then pouring it over cooked taro; served at family gatherings and church feasts.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fa’ausi?

Fa’ausi is a dessert from Samoa: grated taro or bread squares drowned in thick caramelised coconut sauce. Made by boiling coconut cream with sugar until it darkens, then pouring it over cooked taro; served at family gatherings and church feasts.

How long does Fa’ausi take to make?

Fa’ausi takes 20 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Fa’ausi?

Yes, within limits. Bread or fa’apapa stand in for taro and are far simpler to prepare. Brown sugar in place of white gives a deeper flavour with less caramelising needed.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fa’ausi?

Keep children out of the kitchen entirely. Use a long-handled wooden spoon. Never taste it from the pan itself. Bring it back to a gentle simmer. Let it cook for about ten minutes. Add the salt and the vanilla to it. It stops the sauce being merely sweet. Take it off looser than you want it. Add a splash of coconut cream if it is too thick.